The Hebrew Bible presents Balaam as a foreign seer who is capable of bestowing blessings and curses. In the passage of interest, the Moabite King Balak feared the approach of the Israelites and decided to contract Balaam to curse the Israelites. Yet Balaam does the bidding of God and refuses to curse the Israelites for Balak, instead blessing the Israelites through a series of poems. However, there are also inscriptions discovered in a sanctuary dedicated to the babylonian divine assembly that reference Balaam. In one recovered story, Balaam dreams that the divine assembly was about to destroy his city. One aspect of this “destruction” is the subversion of the natural order of animals by making tame animals wild and wild animals tame. At the conclusion, Balaam’s warning prompts the people to repent and pray. This averts the impending disaster. Through the juxtaposition of these two narratives, the blessings in the Hebrew Bible iteration are framed by the pervasive themes of apostasy, repentance, and prayer. By reshaping the narrative through this lens, the Hebrew Bible’s story of the seer Balaam showcases God’s enduring covenant even in the light of the Israelite 's transgressions.
In many ways, the story of Balaam presented in the passage of interest and the story of Balaam presented in the old testament …show more content…
The Moabites want to dispel the threat of the Israelites through force. Yet the Israelites as presented in the passage of interest have not violated their covenant with God. Thus, God does not allow the Israelites to be cursed because “God is not a man to be capricious/ or mortal to change His mind/ Would he speak and not act/ Promise and not fulfill?” In this context, the word “promise” directly refers to the covenant that God has established with the people of Israel. If they do not transgress against God, the Israelites will not be
In many ways, the story of Balaam presented in the passage of interest and the story of Balaam presented in the old testament …show more content…
The Moabites want to dispel the threat of the Israelites through force. Yet the Israelites as presented in the passage of interest have not violated their covenant with God. Thus, God does not allow the Israelites to be cursed because “God is not a man to be capricious/ or mortal to change His mind/ Would he speak and not act/ Promise and not fulfill?” In this context, the word “promise” directly refers to the covenant that God has established with the people of Israel. If they do not transgress against God, the Israelites will not be